ELYRIA — Lorain County Commissioners approved giving the Board of Elections the money it needs to carry out the November election. The nearly $775,000 request was less than the $1.2 million originally requested by Elections Board Director Jose Candelario, but necessary for the county to handle the anticipated increase in ballots.

“This year we’re ramping up for another unprecedented election,” Candelario said. “…For Lorain County, that means a very expensive election.”

Candelario outlined each of the board’s costs during a presentation and said opting to rent the more than 1,000 touch-screen voting machines, instead of purchasing the machines, was just one of the ways the board cut its original request.

An estimated 155,000 people are expected to vote this November in Lorain County. The Board of Election’s office is instructed by the Secretary of State just how to carry out the election — even if it adds to local budgets.

While County Administrator James Cordes said the money should be approved, he warned that the county couldn’t afford to see too many more increases in its budget.

“We can do this, but we can’t take too many of these big hits,” he said.

Contact Stephen Szucs at 329-7129 or sszucs@chroniclet.com.

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